Vehicle-wheel.



PATENTBD DEG. 11, 1906.'

D. WARD.

VBHIGLE' WHEEL. APPLICATION FILED DEOA, 1905.

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Y 13, all of these parts by preference being in-x Iy l N ITED- STATESPATENT OFFICE.

`DELL WARD, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO HERBERTG. REYNOLDS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

VEHICLE-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I DELL WARD, a citizen of theUnited States, residing atGrand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have inventeda new and useful Vehiclelheel, of which the following is a specifica--z'lhis invention relates enerally to vehiclewheels, and more particuarly to one adapted for use upon automobiles and other motore drivenmachines.

The object of the invention is in a ready, practical, and novel mannerto secure the de* sired cushioning eii'ect of the wheel without theemployment of pneumatic o r cushion tires for the purpose.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear as the natureof the invention is better understood, the same consists, generallystated, in a wheel having a hub yieldably combined with the rim andmeans for causing the hub always to be centered relativelyA to the rini.f `f .The invention consists, further, in the various novel details ofconstruction of a springwheel for vehicles, as will be hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed. j

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and1n which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts,Figure 1 is a view in elevation, partly in section, of a vehicleewheelconstructed in accordance with the present 1nvention. Fig. 2 is avertical transverse section through the wheel. view of aslightly-modified form of spoke.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the rim of the wheel, which, asshown in Fig. 2, 1s T-shaped in cross-section and is constructed of anypreferred metal. The web 2 of the rim is provided with two series ofspaced oriices'S and 4, the former of which are engaged by the outerterminals of thespokes 5.and the latter by the outer terminals ofhub-locking arms' 6. Each spoke, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, isconstructed of a length of coiled spring, the terminal whirls of whichare formed into eyes or loops 7 and 8, the former of which engages' withan orifice 3 and the latter with an eyebolt Q, carried by the hub,(designated generally '19.) The hub comprises an axle-box 11, twoterminalcupped flanges 12, and an intermediate disk or flange Fig,A 3is-a detail' tegral, although this is not essential, as they may be madeas separate elements and suitably assembled. Lach of the eyebolts 9, ofwhich there will-be one for each spoke, has a threaded shank upon whichare mounted two nuts 14 and 15, the former of which bears 6o upon theexterior surface of the ange and the latter upon the interior surfacethereof. By properly manipulating the two nu ts the spokes may be placedunder requisite tension and also the hub may be accurately centeredrelatively tothe rim and be locked in such adjustment, as will bereadily understood by reference to Fig. 2. By the provision of thecupped ianges 12 the inner ends of the eye-4 bolts and the nuts 15 arethrown within the 7c plane of the outer ends of the hub and are thusshielded from liability of being damaged by contacting with protrudingobjects.

The flange 13 is providedwith spaced oriiices 16, that are engaged bythe inner ends 7 5' 17 of the hub-locking arms 6, of which four areshown in this instance, each consisting ol two members 18 and 19,connected between their ends by a link-joint 20. These hublookin armsare necessary in order to re- 8o vent t ie hub from yielding where the weel is driven from the axle, as it will be seen'under such conditionswithout any means forv y locking the hub that the initial movement ofthe axle will cause the upper series of springs 8 5 to be flexed and thelower series be compressed, and thereby cause the hub to voccupy aposition eccentric to the rim, which would result in a loss of power. Bythe employment of the locking arms or membersy when 9o the power isiirst applied to the axle they will take up the torsional strain andcause l the driving of the wheel to be positive, and vby reason of thelink .connection'between their members they will yield, thus to allowthe spring-spokes 5 to erform their function of cushioning the whee s.In the form of the invention shown infF ig. 3 the locking-arm 21, whichis of the same construction as that already described, roo

asses through the coils of the spoke 22, the atter having one of itsterminal whirls hooked into engagement with the member 23 of thelocking-arm and the other whirl in engagement witi a screw-eye 24, towhich the terminal locking-arm is also secured, the screw-eye to beassembled with the flange 12 in a manner already described.

Ofr conrse ity will be understood that the improvements herein describedarecapable.

of use in connection with a wheel-rim having 'a' cushion or other tire,andas this will be l readily understood detailed illustration thereof isomitted. I d

From the foregoing description it will be seen that by the arrangementsemployed cushioning ol" the wheel is e'li'ected in a posi'- htive mannerand that truing of the hub relatively to the rim may readilybeaccomplished members disposed with their axes parallell and'corinectedtogether at adjacent ends and to the rim and hub at opposite ends.

3. A wheel comprising a rim, a hubJ a plurality of spring-spokesattached at their ends t0 the hub and rim and extending outwardly' fromthe hub in an approximately radial osition, and means for transmittingpower etWeen the hub and rim, said means comprising a plurality oi'pairs of meniibers`, the niembers of each pair being movably connectedend to end with their axes alining and pivotally attached directly tothe rim and liub.`

4. A Wheel comprising a hub provided with terminal and intermediateiang'es, adjnstable screw-eyes carried by the terminal flanges,`spring-spokes connected .with the screw-'eyes and with the rim, andhub-locking arms connecting the rim and the intermediat flange.

5. A wheel comprising a rim, a hub, a' plni rality of extension-springsconnected at their ends with the hub and rim and disposed in yanapproximately radial position aronnd the hub, and meanslfor transmittingmotion between the hub and rim, `said means comprising a plurality ofpairs of members7 the members ofeach pair being arranged with theirtudinal movement and connected with t e hub and rim in tangentialrelation to'the former and approximately radial relation to the latter.

6. A wheel comprising a hub having ter# mina] cupped lian disk iiange,adjnstabble screw-eyes carried by the cu )ped flanges, a 'rim7spring'spokes connecte 'with the rim and with the screw-eyes;v

and longitudinally-yieldable hub-locking arms connected with the-rim andwith the intermediate ilange.

In testimony that claim the 'foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DELL WARD.

lVitnesses CARL MEYER,

,FRED L .SLOGHr O'es and an intermediate axes alining and loosely unitedto have lonffip

